


Approach With Care

by ibelieveinturtles



Series: Bingo Bonanza [13]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bedsharing, Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Pining, Sensory Overload, accidental feelings, bad first meeting, violence towards innocent cars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28472481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibelieveinturtles/pseuds/ibelieveinturtles
Summary: Bucky's out for a quiet walk when he gets hit by a car. The car does not win. Darcy isn't impressed.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis
Series: Bingo Bonanza [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976137
Comments: 34
Kudos: 155
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020





	1. Solitude

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote these between ~8am yesterday and 2am this morning (gotta love being at the front of the time zones!!) in a last ditch effort to blackout my Bucky Barnes Bingo card and I SUCCEEDED!!!
> 
> Therefore this is unedited and unbeta'd.
> 
> Bucky Barnes Bingo details
> 
> Title: Approach With Care  
> Collaborator(s): ibelieveinturtles   
> Square (letter, number, and prompt): (at top of each chapter)  
> Pairing/Main Ship: Darcy Lewis/Bucky Barnes   
> Rating: T (for language)  
> Major tags: bad first meeting, violence towards innocent cars, sensory overload, accidental feelings, pining, bedsharing, enemies to lovers   
> Warnings/Triggers: description of a panic attack  
> Summary: Bucky's out for a quiet walk when he gets hit by a car. The car does not win. Darcy isn't impressed.  
> Word Count: 1990

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky enjoys a quiet walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bingo Info:  
> Square (letter, number, and prompt): C3, Free space

Solitude

* * *

Bucky's out for an exploratory stroll - coat collar turned up, scarf wrapped snugly around his neck, hands shoved deep into pockets. It's his day off and there's miles of grounds to be explored at Avengers Headquarters.

He's enjoying the weak warmth of the sun, happily minding his own business when he hears a car somewhere in the distance.

He doesn't bother moving off the road. No one uses this road - the only place it goes is to the observatory and astrophysics laboratory and it's been deserted for months. That's why he chose this direction today. Peaceful solitude with no interruptions.

* * *


	2. Collision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's peace and quiet is destroyed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Square filled: U1, What doesn’t kill me makes me mad

Collision

* * *

The car gets louder and he realises too late that not only is it on his road but it's speeding and won't see him in time to slow down, let alone stop. He's already turning when it appears around the corner. The driver hits the brakes and the car skids on the gravel surface, sliding right towards him.

He didn't intend to stop the car with his metal hand - it was just instinct.

The front of the car collapses under his hand and steam billows up and envelopes him as the engine sputters to a halt.

Damn.

As the steam clears, he lifts his eyes from the crumpled fender and meets the astonished gazes of the driver and her passenger.

Their eyes drop to the ruined hood. Bucky straightens up, flexing his hand as he walks up to the window and signals her to open it.

"What the hell, dude?" she says. "You broke my car!"

"Firstly," he says, "this is private property. Secondly, you could kill someone driving like that. Thirdly, this is private property but if you leave now no one'll press any charges."

The woman bristles and glares at him.

"Firstly," she snaps, "we work at the observatory. Secondly, what the hell were you doing walking in the middle of the road? And thirdly, you broke my fucking car, asshole! We couldn't leave if we wanted too!"

"You could've killed me," Bucky says, really wanting to push that point home. He hasn't survived this much just to be taken out by some crazy woman treating the compound roads like a rally course. "And no one works at the observatory, it's been deserted for months."

"Yeah, 'cause we've been in New Mexico for the winter but we're back now, so stay off our damn road!"

"Seems to me like you've got no proof that it's your road."

"How dare you question our right to be here! Don't you know we are? Who she is?" This last question is punctuated by a finger stabbing jerkily in her friend's direction. 

"Don't you know who  _ I _ am?" he countered.

"Yeah, you're the asshole who broke my car!"

"Excuse me, but who exactly are you?"

Bucky's eyes stray to the other woman. She's watching him carefully but with no sign of her friend's malice.

"Barnes," he says. "Who are you?"

"I'm-"

"None of your damn business is who we are," the driver interrupts, opening the door so violently that he has to fall back a step to avoid being hit. Again.

"You expect me to just believe you work at the observatory without knowing who you are?" Bucky demands. "That's it, I'm calling the Director."

"You do that, asshole. Maria will set you bang to rights." Glaring at him some more, she stomps past him to the front of the car and attempts to open the hood. Bucky fishes his phone out of his pocket.

"Hey, asshole!" his new Nemesis yells. "Get her to send a tow truck while you're at it."

That's it, Bucky decides. He doesn't have to put up with this. Dropping his phone back into his pocket he turns towards the compound. 

"Sorry, no service out here. I'll have to walk."

He doesn't look back. 

* * *


	3. Compassion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's not impressed when he finds out his new nemesis is staying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Square filled: K4, Sensory overload
> 
> Warning, there's a description of a panic attack in this chapter.

Compassion

* * *

"What do you mean, they're staying here?" Bucky asks. He and Steve are on the balcony, watching the truck tow the broken car into the yard. The driver sees them watching and flips him the bird.

"That's Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis. They're astrophysicists. You should be nice to them or they might just drop a portal on top of you."

"She coulda killed me, Steve."

Steve chuckles. "It'll take more than a little car like that to kill you," he says, "but you should make your peace with her."

Bucky just grunts.

"Come on," Steve says. "I hear they'll be joining us for dinner. You can make your apologies then."

"I've got nothin' to apologise for," Bucky grumbles.

"Maybe, maybe not. It can't hurt though." Steve grins, pushing away from the railing. "Use some of that old charm of yours."

Bucky glances back down at Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis, then follows Steve.

The common room is already filling up - there's more people in residence than he thought - and he's already starting to feel tension in his neck so he grabs a plate of whatever they've made for dinner and finds an empty seat.

"Hey, man. I heard you made a new friend today."

Sam drops into the seat next to him and hands him a beer.

"Yeah, who told you that?" says Bucky.

"She did," Sam replies. "You made quite an impression."

Bucky grunts.

"Just...make an effort, man. You might find you actually like her."

Bucky doesn't say anything, just sips at the beer and empties his plate. The noise is getting louder and someone has put music on. A constant stream of laughter drifts over from the group that surrounds Foster and Lewis and the tension in Bucky's neck winds a little tighter. He closes his eyes and breathes. It's almost time for him to leave.

"Hey, they're putting dessert out," Sam says, breaking Bucky's concentration. "You want cheesecake or mudcake?"

"I don't think-"

"Cheesecake it is," says Sam, and takes off.

Without Sam's buffering presence, the noise seems louder. Bucky sits still, concentrating hard on his breathing but he can hear every single thing. He hears the clink of cutlery on china. The gurgle of water running down the sink. The hum of the fridge's motor. Someone laughing. Then it all combines into a single, overwhelming buzz and he needs to escape but he can't move.

Then someone is kneeling down in front of him, a pair of headphones settles over his ears and there is nothing but a hand in his, gently tugging him upwards and forward, through a door and out onto a small deck overlooking the gardens.

Closing his eyes, he leans against the railing for a minute before removing the headphones and turning to face his rescuer.

"Feeling better?" says the driver half of Foster and Lewis.

He nods slowly.

"Good. I'll leave you to it then." 

"Why'd you do that?" Bucky asks quietly. 

She pauses, a hand on the door. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she half turns to look at him.

"You may be an asshole but I'm not a heartless bitch," she says, then adds hurriedly, "also, I'm sorry about the whole hitting you with my car thing," and sweeps through the door, back to the party.

* * *


	4. Conundrums

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky has a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Square filled: Y1, Accidental feelings

Conundrums

* * *

Bucky has a problem. Okay, he has two problems. Hmm, no. Three. Three problems. In order they are: the driver half of Foster and Lewis helped him through a- a difficult time - and then apologised for hitting him with her car. He hasn't apologised back because of problem two: he doesn't know if she's Foster or Lewis. He can see it now. "Hey, I know I behaved like a jerk about the whole car thing; by the way, what's your name?"

Which brings him to problem number three: the butterflies he gets in his stomach every time he sees her.

* * *


	5. Conspiracy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's friends only want to see him happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Square filled: C5, Pining

Conspiracy

* * *

Sam and Steve have a new hobby - watching Bucky watch Darcy Lewis. At first he watches her reluctantly, then cautiously. He graduates from surreptitiously to stealthily and finally, obviously. Not that he thinks he's obvious- he thinks he's still being surreptitious. Sam's never seen him like this, and Steve- well, Steve remembers a bolder Bucky, who wasn't afraid to approach a woman he liked. 

"Just talk to her, man. She won't bite," Sam says.

"No," is the only answer Bucky ever gives.

It takes Sam a month to find out why.

"What do you mean you don't know which one she is?"

"We were never introduced," Bucky mumbles. "All I know is one's Foster and one's Lewis."

"That's easily fixed," Sam says. "I'll do it."

"She thinks I'm an asshole," Bucky says.

"Okay, that one's a bit tougher but we can fix it so she doesn't care that you're an asshole. Like me." Sam grins when he says this.

"Forget it," Bucky says. "It doesn't matter. I'm going for a run."

They watch him leave.

"Bet you ten bucks he runs past the observatory," Sam says.

"All his runs go past the observatory," Steve replies.

"He needs help."

Steve nods his agreement, brow wrinkling into a thoughtful expression. "I think I might have an idea," he says. "Did you know that Darcy is also a hacker?"

Sam's eyebrows almost hit his hairline. "She is?"

Steve nods. "Yep. She made Thor a fake I.D. when he first landed in New Mexico Come on, let's find Maria."

Maria is in her office and when Steve explains his idea to her, she gives her full approval.

"I have the perfect assignment."

* * *


	6. Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky gets given a surprise mission with an unexpected partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Squate filled: Y5, Bed sharing

Chances

* * *

Bucky isn't sure if he should be angry at Sam and Steve, or if he'll be thanking them when he gets back. Much to his surprise he's been given a special assignment with Darcy Lewis, who as it turns out, is not only an astrophysicist but is also a part-time S.H.I.E.L.D. hacker. 

They're posing as a married couple while they follow up on a lead regarding a previously unknown Hydra weapons cache, one that even he doesn't know about. And he knows a lot.

It's late when they check in, both of them ready for some sleep.

"Dude, this is the swankiest hotel I've ever been in," Darcy says, bouncing on her toes while he unlocks the door. As soon as the door is open she pushes past him, ready to explore.

"Oh wow, a California King! This is amazing!"

She's starfishing in the middle of the giant bed. "Hop on," she says, patting the bed beside her, "or are you too scared to share a bed with me?"

"I'm not afraid," says Bucky. Nope. He's terrified.

"Good," she says, smiling with her whole face. "I warn you now, I'm a cuddler and a quilt stealer. I  _ will _ follow you across the bed. If you object to either of those things you can sleep on the couch."

"I think I can handle it."

""I'm glad to hear that," she says, and grins.

He is so screwed. 

Half an hour later they're clean and laying as far apart as possible even though Darcy has told him - several times now - that she'll be wrapped around him like an octopus by morning.

He's willing to take that risk.

He's ready to take another chance too. He rolls onto his side and peers at Darcy through the gloom. The words stick in his head at first, rearranging themselves over and over but eventually he forces them out of his mouth. 

"Hey, uh. I just want you to know that I'm sorry I broke your car. It was a reflex but I didn't have to be such a jerk about it."

There's nothing but silence from the other side of the bed and Bucky is starting to think he left it too long and she's fallen asleep when his sharp ears catch the whisper.

"Yr time 's shit bu' thanks. Now go sleep."

He's smiling when slumber claims him.

* * *


	7. Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky comes to a realisation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Square filled: B3, Enemies to lovers

Courage

* * *

When Bucky wakes up, Darcy  _ is _ wrapped around him like a limpet. And he likes it. He could stay like this all day but they've got a mission to do and they're on a timetable. 

"Hey," he says, shaking Darcy's shoulder. "Time to wake up."

She grunts and clings harder. 

"Darcy, honey. We've gotta get up."

"No," she whines. "Like it here."

"Me too, but we've got work to do."

Reluctantly she lets go of him and they prepare for the mission. They fall into the pretense of their cover so well, Bucky wants it to be real, but with more kissing and… stuff. The mission goes off without a hitch.

When he wakes up on the final morning he makes a decision. It's time to cut the bullshit and man up. 

"Darcy?" he whispers. "Are you awake?"

"Mmf," she says. "What?"

"I know you think I'm an asshole-"

"You  _ are _ an asshole. I'm trying to sleep, dammit"

"Okay, I  _ am _ an asshole but I've been thinking, is there any possibility you could maybe overlook it?"

A bleary eyed face rises in front of him. It's frowning.

"I thought I already was. Overlooking it."

"Enough to make this real?" His heart is pounding so hard he thinks it's about to leap out of his chest.

"That's a big ask, Bucky Barnes."

"What's that thing you're always saying? Go big or go home?"

She smiles at him. "Okay. Sounds good to me. Now can I go back to sleep? Our flight's not for hours."

"One thing first," he says, and kisses her.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> You can find my My Tumblr at [ibelieveinturtles](http://ibelieveinturtles.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Also, if you're reading this as a guest and would like an account, I have invites.


End file.
